The present invention is directed to a cooking device having a cooking chamber, a motor unit for driving a fan for purposes of circulating cooking chamber atmosphere in the cooking chamber and a control unit and/or regulating unit cooperating with the motor unit.
In traditional cooking devices, it is differentiated between the embodiments for different mains supplies or power supplies. In other words, each cooking device must be adapted to the power supply connection that is present at the respective location, so that not only differently constructed devices are necessary for different countries, but a correct operating mode cannot be guaranteed at the same time given fluctuations of the power from different types of power supplies.
For example, European Patent 0 585 703 A2 discloses an electromotor controlled by a frequency converter. The use of a frequency converter is described, which exhibits a rectifier circuit, an intermediate circuit, an a.c. circuit and a control and regulator circuit and which functions independently of whether a single-phase mains or a three-phase mains is available as the power supply, since only the rectifier circuit must be correspondingly adapted or, respectively, designed.
An object of the present invention is to further develop a cooking device so that the disadvantage of the prior art is overcome, so that a universal utilization is possible independent of the respective power supply connections.
This object is inventively achieved by a voltage, phase and/or frequency converter having the power supply connection for input of a.c. voltage signals L1, at least one connection to a control and regulator unit and an output connection for transmitting three-phase a.c. voltage signals U, V, W with an adjustable amplitude, frequency and/or phase to the motor unit.
It can be provided that the voltage, phase and/or frequency converter comprises a rectifier circuit, an intermediate circuit and an inverted rectifier circuit, whereby the input a.c. voltage signals L1 can be rectified by the power supply connection in the rectifier circuit, the rectified voltage can be smoothed by the rectifier circuit in the intermediate circuit and the smoothed voltage can be converted into the three-phase a.c. voltage signals U, V, W by the intermediate circuit in the inverted rectifier circuit.
An embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the control and/or regulator unit is connected to a rectifier circuit via at least one voltage and/or current connection and/or via a correction connection for reducing a phase shift between voltage and current and/or is connected to the inverted rectifier circuit via at least one three-phase control connection for adjusting the three phases of the three-phase a.c. voltage signals U, V, W, with preferably minimized harmonic waves.
Embodiments of the invention are preferred which are characterized by an interference sensory mechanism, particularly for monitoring a short-circuit and/or temperature, in cooperation with the inverted rectifier circuit and the control and regulator unit via at least one interference sensory connection.
In addition, it can be inventively provided that the intermediate circuit has a capacitor.
It can also be inventively provided that the inverted rectifier circuit has a pulse inverter.
In addition, it is inventively proposed that the voltage, phase and/or frequency converter is adjusted via the control and regulator unit instantaneously, or at least with a selective time-delay.
It is also inventively proposed that the rotational speed, the acceleration ramp and/or the brake ramp of the fan can be adjusted and/or modulated via the control and regulator unit and the motor unit preferably is infinitely variable.
Moreover, it can be inventively proposed that the motor unit has a three-phase asynchronous motor or a three-phase synchronous motor.
Finally, it is inventively proposed that the motor unit has a motor brake that can be adjusted and/or modulated via the control and regulator unit.
Given a traditional cooking device, the invention, therefore, is based on the surprising knowledge of using a voltage converter that cooperates with a control and regulator unit for driving a motor unit for a fan for circulating cooking chamber atmosphere in a cooking space, namely power electronics composed of modem power converter technology and digital signal processing, in order to generate a current and voltage system of the worldwide present electrical power supplies that are optimized for cooking devices. The mechanical and dynamic requirements are to be inventively optimally transferred to the motor unit via the control and regulator unit. Furthermore, the following advantages can be inventively achieved.
Regardless of the respective power supplies, namely the input voltage of a cooking device, one single type of cooking device can be used. The frequency, the phase and/or the amplitude of the power supplies, which can be applied to the motor unit, can be adjusted independently of the frequency and the amplitude of the chronologically constant but internationally variable power supply. Voltage fluctuations, for example, of +10% and/or xe2x88x9215% of a single-phase power supply can also be compensated.
The volume performance of the cooking device can be increased. The efficiency of the cooking device can also be increased by reducing harmonic waves.
The rotary frequency of the fan can be continuously adjusted from 1 to 100 Hertz, for example. The rotary frequency of the fan can be modulated via the control and regulator unit for increasing the efficiency of the heat transmission and for the homogenization of the same.
The run-up phase of a fan can be shortened in that the ascending gradient of the acceleration ramp is increased, so that a better heat transmission with respect to a cooking product in the cooking chamber is possible.
Within an extremely short period of time, cooking phases can be stopped in a programmed fashion via the use of a motor brake, so that the discharge of steam from the cooking device is reduced, as well as the idle time given a change of direction.
Additional advantages and features of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment, the drawing and claims.